Mountain Peak in Austria Falls Down
A huge rockfall on Fluchthorn wiped out a popular summit and lowered the overall height of the mountain
Photos and videos have been released showing the south summit of Fluchthorn mountain in the Silvretta Alps of Austria collapsing. The 3,400-metre peak had a 15-foot-tall wooden cross on its top and was a popular objective for climbers.
The rockfall wiped out over 100 metres of vertical terrain and the debris field extended down the Fluchthorn Glacier for several kilometres toward the Jamtal Hut. The south summit was the highest of the mountain, but after the rockfall, the middle summit at 3,397 metres is now the high point.
Patrick Schöpfer, a member of Galtür mountain rescue, said that he believes recent snow melt, exacerbated by record high temps, likely led to the collapse. Helicopters and search teams were sent out, but luckily it seems there was nobody injured or killed. Shortly after the rockfall, a huge flood ripped through the valley below.
Over the past decade, many of the world’s most popular mountain ranges have seen epic rockfalls, from the one on Snowpatch Spire last winter, to the countless in Squamish to deadly ones in Yosemite. Hopefully we see less rockfalls in 2023 than in recent years.
Fluchthorn Rockfall
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